Community event at the Bombed Out Church celebrates power of kindness and generosity

Inspired by the beloved children’s book Kindness Rocks, the recent community event at The Bombed Out Church brought together people of all ages to celebrate the power of kindness and small acts of generosity.

The book, written by local author, Sheryl Webster, tells the story of a rockstar lion whose world collides with a homeless bear, introducing young readers to the issue of homelessness and empowering them with the knowledge that kindness can make a difference. This message has since sparked numerous impactful community initiatives.

One of Sheryl’s initiatives, Rock Your Socks, encouraged children from local schools to wear fun socks to school and donate a new pair to help those in need. In October, through the initiative, Sheryl collected an incredible 2,000 pairs of socks, which were donated to The Whitechapel Centre and Paper Cup Coffee.

Building on this success, the Kindness Rocks‘at’ The Bombed Out Church project began in June 2023. Sheryl invited local knitters to create scarves, and children to decorate kindness tags with uplifting messages, symbolizing a warm hug paired with words of hope. Expecting around 50 to 100 scarves, the response surpassed all expectations, with 400 scarves collected over 18 months. Throughout the project, Sheryl visited groups like The Reader at Calderstones, and even read Kindness Rocks to the knitting group, discovering how the book’s message resonated with people of all ages.

To give the scarves a heartfelt send-off before their donation to The Whitechapel Centre, the community gathered at The Bombed-Out Church on Saturday, February 22nd. Under sunny skies, the scarves were beautifully displayed on chairs inside the grounds. Families enjoyed activities like making friendship bracelets, decorating kindness tags, and colouring Jonny Heart sheets, while live music from Bethany Webster added to the joyful atmosphere. Visitors from both the local area and around the world attended, with some of the knitters proudly seeing their creations on display. The day ended with a rainbow, a fitting symbol of hope and kindness.

Sheryl said:

“This project has shown me that kindness is truly ageless. Seeing so many people come together to support those in need, from schoolchildren to knitters, was incredibly heartwarming. It’s a reminder that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.”

Find more information about Kindness Rocks and future community projects here.

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